Method of purifying iron.



.tlhl'h earner HERMAN A. BRASSERT, F BRADDOCK, PENNSYLVANIA.

METHOD OF PURIFYING IRON.

roaaoai.

No Drawing.

To all whom it may coaccmfl Be it known that I, HERMAN A. Bnnssnn'r, a subject'of the King of Great Britain and Ireland, residing at Braddock, in the county of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania,

have invented a new and useful Improvement in Methods of Purifying Iron, of which the following is -a specification.

This invention relates to the manufacture iron.

The growing scarcity of low phosphorous iron ores in this country is becoming a serious obstacle to the manufacture .of steel by-t-he acid Bessemer process, yet the ores do'not contain sufiicient phos horns to warrantthe introduction of the liasic Bessemer process.

An object of this inyention is to provide a method whereby iron in'large quantities I 2 may be purified more thoroughly, more rapidly and at less cost than by any methods known to me.

A. further object of this invention has been to provide a method whereby iron low 2 in phosphorus may be readily manufactured from high phosphorous ores, and an iron of,

any required analysis, suitable for use with the acid Bessemer process of steel manufacture, and'for use in the mamifacture of 3 ,high grade crucible steel may be produced.

A further object of this invention has been to provide ,a method for purifying the molten iron as it is tapped from the blast furnace, making use of the high initial heat of the iron ands'aving the cost of intermediate transportation and handling.

A further object of this invention has been to provide a method for purifying iron, utilizing the equipment of the blast furto pace, such as hot blast, castingapparatus and blast furnace gas.

A still further object of this invention has been to utilize the liquid blast furnace cinder as it fiows from the. tapping hole of the furnace with the cast of iron for purifying the iron.

These and other objects I attain by means of the method hereinafter described.

In carrying out this invention I prefer ably proceed in the following manner The whole or part of the cast from a blast furnace is collected in :1 receptacle situated as closely as possible to the tapping hole of thcblast furnace, whereby the initial heat of the molten metal is substantially the" Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July f6, 1912.

Application filed November 15, 1904. Serial No, 232,893.

same as the heat-of the metal in the hearth of the blast furnace and the metal collected 1s 1n :1 super-molten condition. The recepta'cle is preferably a shallow circular one provided with a number of twyers; ranged 6.0 around it and positioned so as to direct blasts of air downwardly onto the surface of .the metal contained therein in such'a manner that a rotary or whirling motion is given to the metal of the bath. If desirable all or part of the liquid blast furnace cinder flowing from the tapping-hole of thefurnace may be allowed to pass with the iron into the receptacle, or, if desired, all

or part of the cinder may be replaced by 7 other fluxes, such as limestone, which will either be placed in the receptacle before or after the iron has been collected. Either before or after the iron has been collected in the receptacle, suitable oxidizing agents, such iron ore, manganese ore, scale .or steel cinders, in suitable amounts are introduced to react on the-iron, whereby the silicon, manganese, phosphorus and sulfur are partially. or wholly removed. In order to assist this reaction the air blast is turned on. The'rot'ary motion given to the bath by this blast insures that all of the metal comes -in close contact with the oxids and fluxes and the oxygen of the, blast. At the same time, a strongly oxidizing atmosphere is maintained at the contact point of slag and metal, thus greatly facilitatingnndaccelerating the reactioni The acceleration of the reaction is very important as the loss of heat through radiation is considerable, and onlya limited amount of heat is available from the oxidation of the elements. By means of the blast accelerating the reaction, more heat is accumulated in a given time,

and by the .blast beating down onto the metal bath, the zone 'of greatest heat'pis always kept in close proximity to the bath. By regulating the air blast the heat of the bath can be varied at pleasure. This is of extreme importance when dephosphorizing. The phosphorus will be oxidized and pass into the cinder more readily at a low tem' perature, yet it will not enter the slag unless the same has a certain degree of fluidity, and with the air blast this narrow working limit of temperature can be easily maintainedv In most cases itis not desired to decrease the carbon contents of the iron, therefore 11o ments have been removed to the desired eX-' tent. v If it is desired to remove sulfur by this 5 process, such fluxes can be "added as will form a slag of such composition as will react upon it. This process can be advantageously carried on in a so called fore-hearth connected to the blast furnace in which thevmolten iron is collected, but in which no coke is present. The twyers for the air blast will be positioned around the fore-hearth, as above described, and theoxids and fluxes added in the same manner. The purified iron maybe tapped either into chills, or conveyed to a pig machine in ladles or a metal mixer, or be run into a basin of water where-' by it is shotted. The latter method is especially desirable when this iron is to be recharged into a blastfurnace.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and useful and desire to secure by Letters Patent is 1. The process of manufacturing purified liquid iron which consists in collecting and retaining within a receptacle a bath of molten iron of such weight that the initial heat conserved is sufiicient to keep the bath liquid throughout the entire process, then in subjecting the molten iron within the receptacle to the action of suitable metallic oxidizing agents, then facilitating the reaction between the molten iron and the slag formed by causing air in the form of one or more 'blasts to impinge upon the surface of the bath and then withdrawing the purified iron product in a liquid state. v

2. The process of making purified liquid 40 iron which consists in collecting and retaining within a receptacle a bath of molten iron in quantity suflicient to keep the bath liquid throughout the entire process without the 'aid of external heat by conserving and utilizing the initial heat of the molten iron, then in subjecting the molten iron to the action of suitable metallic oxids and fluxes, then accelerating the reaction between the molten metal. and the slag formed by directing downwardlyv onto the surface of the bath a suitable blastof air and finally withdrawing the resultant product in a liquid state.

3. The process of making purified liquid iron which consists incollecting within a receptacle a'ba th of molten iron and blast furnace cinder, such iron being in quantity suiiicient to keepthe bath liquid throughout the entire process by conserving and utilizing the initial heat of the molten iron, then v in subjecting the molten iron to the action of suitable metallic oxids and one ormore airblasts directed downwardly onto its stir- H face and finally trunningoff the resultant product in a liquiii state. v '4. The process of making purified liquid iron which consists in collecting within a suilicient to keep the bath liquid throughout suitable o-xidizing'agcn'ts and fluxes and one or more blasts of air directed downwardly onto its surface and then running oil finished product in a liquid state.

The process of making purified liquid iron which consists in collecting and retaining within a receptacle a bath of molten iron in quantity sufiicicnt to keep the bath liquid throughout the entire process without the ing the initial heat of the molten iron, in running blast furnace cinder into the receptacle with the iron, then simultaneously sub jec'ting the molten iron to the action of suitable oxidizing agents and an air blast directed downwardly onto the surface of the bath in such manner that a strongly oxidizing atmosphere is maintained at the point 'of contact of slag formed and the molten metal and finally running ofi finished product in a liquid state. Y

O. The process of making purified liquid iron low in phosphorus from iron high in phosphorus which consists in collecting and retaining within a receptacle a-bath of molten iron high in phosphorus and in quantity sutlicicnt to keep the bath I liquid throughoutthe entire process by conserving ning off finished product in a liquid state.

7. The process of making purified'iron,

able receptacle a bath of super-molten iron in such quantity that it will remain liquid throughout the process by the heat conserved, in subjecting the molten iron to the "action of suitalide metallic oxids and fluxes, -and in accelerating the reaction by the means of one or more blasts of air.

8. The process of making purified iron, which consists in collecting within a suitable receptacle a bath composed of blast furnace cinder and -molten iron in such quantity that it will remain liquid throughoutthe process by the heat conserved, and in subjecting the bath to the action of suitable metallic oxids and one or more air.- blasts.

9. The process of making purifiedliq'uid iron, which consists'in collecting within a suitable receptacle a bath of'molten iron in and utilizing the initial heat of the molten iron, in subjecting the molten iron to the receptacle a bath of molten iron in quantity aid of external heatby conserving and utilizthe entire process, then in simultaneously subjectmg the molten 11'011 to the action of which consists inproviding Within a suitsuchquantity that it will remain liquid throughout the process by means of the heat conserved,-in subjecting-the molten iron to 1 the action of suitable metallic oxids and fluxes, and in accelerating the reaction by maintaining a strongly oxidizing atmosphere at the point of contact of the slag formed and the molten metal by one or more air blasts. I

10. The process of making purified liquid iron, which consists in collecting Within a suitable receptacle a bath of molten iron in such quantity that it Will remain liquid throughout the process by the heat conserved,- and in simultaneously subjecting the molten iron to the action of suitable oxidizing agents and fluxes and one or more airasts. 1.1. The process of making purified liquid iron, which consists in collecting a bath of super-molten iron Within a suitable receptacle in such quantity that it will remain liquid throughout the process by the heat conserved, in subjecting the bath to the action of suitable oxidizing agents and one or more air-blasts and then Withdrawing finished product in a liquid state.

12. The process of making purified liquid iron, which consists in collecting a superniolteu bath of iron in quantity su'flicient to keep the bath liquid throughout the process by the heat conserved, in subjecting the bath to the action of suitable metallic oxids and fluxes, and in accelerating the reaction be.- tween the metal of the bath and the slag formed by means of an air-blast and then tion between the slag formed and the metal of the bath by maintaining a strongly oxidizing atmosphere at the point of contact of the slag and the molten metal by means of one or more air-blasts, and then running off finished product in a liquid state.

14. The process of making purified liquid iron, which consists in collecting a bath of super-molten iron and blast furnace cinder in quantity sutlicient to keep the bath liquid throughout the process by the heat conserved, and in simultaneously subjecting the bath to the action of suitable oxidizing agents and one or more air-blasts, and then running oil? finished product in a liquid. state. I

In testimony whereof I have hereunto subscribed my name this lltll day 01" November, 190i.

HERMAN A. BRASSERT.

WVitnesses:

JNO. S. GREEN, E. D. NUGENT. 

